


Heat Wave

by kingoriginal, Vearth



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is eternally frustrated, M/M, Sexual Frustration, Sharing a Bed, Unresolved Sexual Tension, until he's not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-12-30 15:23:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12111639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingoriginal/pseuds/kingoriginal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vearth/pseuds/Vearth
Summary: A mission forces Alec and Jace into close quarters. Weighted by the knowledge of his inappropriate feelings for his parabatai and under the veil of a full-blown heat wave Alec is pressed into constant frustration.





	Heat Wave

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE NOTE that this story was originally written in form of a roleplay, meaning the Alec ([dnteverdoubtme](http://dnteverdoubtme.tumblr.com)/kingoriginal) and Jace ([ofgoldenblood](http://ofgoldenblood.tumblr.com)/Vearth) parts are written by two different authors. Because of this there are jumps between Alec's and Jace's POV, and the occasional repetition of events but always from different perspectives.  
> This is the first part of an ongoing story that is currently being written on tumblr as the [Heat Wave Series](http://dnteverdoubtme.tumblr.com/heat-wave).

     ❝Looks like we only got that  _one_ blanket – but there isn’t really room for another one anyway.❞ Having found nothing but a bunch of towels and two old and yellowed pillows, Jace closed the door to the little cupboard again. Like almost everything in this room, the inside of the cupboard had smelled like **rat poison** , creating the cozy atmosphere of sleeping near a production site for  _chemicals_. Their trip to the north-west of the country had been extended due to unforeseen complications (a  _rivalry_ between the werewolf packs they had been meant to cooperate with), but Maryse had decided it would be a **waste of time**  to get Jace, Alec and Izzy back to the institute before they had finished their mission, and so they had to sit it out until the pack leaders had settled their dispute.

As there was no Institute close to the city they were currently visiting, they had been forced to rent rooms for the night in a small B&B.  _Naturally_ Isabelle had declared the bigger room with the bigger bed hersand Jace and Alec had  _begrudgingly_ agreed to sharing the smaller one. In hindsight, Jace thought he shouldn’t have agreed so **quickly** , without taking a look at the room first. It wasn’t that he  _minded_ sleeping next to Alec, but the bed was so **ridiculously** small that it looked like even  _one_ person had a fair chance of falling out of it if they rolled around too much. Jace had already taken his shirt off and was in the process of unbuttoning his pants as he walked over to the bed where his _parabatai_ was standing.

❝Do you want to sleep by the window? I don’t really care.❞ It was unpleasantly **warm** in their room, the summer heat from outside seeping in through the tilted window and the **broken** ceiling fan doing nothing but  _mocking_ them from high above. ❝By the Angel, I was hoping it’d cool down at night,❞ Jace added, while stepping out of his pants and throwing them to the rest of his clothes on the chair standing by the wall.

* * *

 

     Alec was trapped in  _hell_. This whole trip was a mockery of his very existence and the **heat**  did nothing but set the ambient for it, making his shirt  _cling_  to the back of his neck – a small discomfort compared to how Alec felt the moment he laid eyes in their rooming quarters for the foreseeable future. The dingy place and less than comfortable furnishings hadn’t bothered him, it was all part of the trade, at least not until he saw  _the bed_. One and only, as it happened to be the case, so narrow his body alone would have trouble fitting in with any resemblance of comfort and he and Jace were supposed to **share it**.

He was still staring hopelessly at the metal framed nightmare, as if glaring at it would certainly **split** the small bed into a double, while Jace roamed the cabinets and wardrobe for… _something_ really, Alec wasn’t actually paying attention. A groan was his only answer to Jace’s complain about the blanket situation, like Alec would complain about a **blanket** at the face of  _this,_ and by the time he looked up again his parabatai was suddenly divested of his shirt, unbuttoning his pants and sauntering up to Alec like some sort of– **hell** , it was really the only word Alec could think of to define his situation. 

Not that he hadn’t seen Jace shirtless before, damn he had drew most of the guy’s runes himself, but they hadn’t shared a room since they were kids and they certainly hadn’t slept in the **same** bed, not since Alec realized he had feelings that went way past brotherly love for his parabatai. Feelings that were  **forbidden** , and all the harder to _control_ with a certain blond looking like something straight out Alec’s most daring dreams, golden skin **glistening** with sweat as he came to stand near him, nonchalant without a fault as he asked what side Alec would prefer. Like the thing was big enough to have  _sides_.

❝You really think we can share this?❞he asked at last, swallowing his dread and pointedly moving his eyes away from Jace and towards a very **interesting** mold spot in the wall behind him, right above his shoulder. ❝I can take the floor,❞ Alec volunteered, certainly not out of the kindness of his heart, stepping away and in the direction of the small bathroom – the room certainly had a **theme** to it. He pulled off his own shirt off along the way, dropping it with their backpacks in a corner by the door. There was only so long he could stall, really, and taking of his boots took far longer than it ever should as he hoped Jace would settle down and  _sleep_  before he had to make any choices.

* * *

 

     ❝Don’t be  _ridiculous_ , ❞ Jace said. Even in his underwear, with a thin layer of  _sweat_ covering his skin, he was feeling **hot**. For a moment, he played with the thought of taking a shower, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Even an **ice bath**  wouldn’t save him from waking up sweat soaked in the morning, and the air outside didn’t seem to be planning on  _cooling down_  even one degree. ❝We’ll make **do**.❞ Aside from being the smallest bed Jace had ever laid eyes on, it looked exceptionally  _uncomfortable_ , the mattress hard and old, and the pillow thinned out over the years.

❝It’s only for a few days.❞  _And if one of us falls out, we can always switch rooms with Izzy_ , Jace thought to himself. She would protest, of course, but if he had to choose between Izzy  _pouting_ for the rest of their trip and sleeping on the floor in a room that very likely held **rats** , the choice was easy. While Alec was still busy undressing – seemingly moving **extra slow**  to not break any unnecessary sweats – Jace lay down on the bed. For a few  _divine_ seconds, the sheets were nice and cool against his back, but quickly his body heat seeped into the fabric and left him  _sweating_ like before. Jace closed his eyes, but he didn’t fool himself. There would be no easy falling asleep tonight.

❝I hope this stupid Alpha dispute is resolved quickly. This town is boring as hell,❞ he mumbled, without opening his eyes to see if Alec had finished taking his boots off yet. Their bed was small enough that he had no doubts he would notice when his  _parabatai_ finally decided to come over and lie down next to him. Or **on top** of him. Wherever he fitted, really. ❝We should look for a place to get breakfast tomorrow morning. I don’t trust the stuff they’re serving _here_.❞ No food that was only 1$ per person, and sold by the same guy who didn’t know (or  _care_ ) that the sandwiches in his vending machine were **rotten** , could be safe to eat.

* * *

 

      _Making do_  seemed like a far more achievable concept in Jace’s **heat-stroked** mind than it was in reality, so Alec couldn’t help the _snort_ that came to him at the suggestion – the reaction was default by now. His boots found their way to the same pile as the rest of their clothes and the water from the sink was a momentary relief, splashed over his heated face and falling down his neck in rivulets. He would gladly sleep in the bathtub if he could, which **of course** meant that their particularly corner of _hell_ only had a shower stall, the head of it so low Alec was pretty sure he wouldn’t fit underneath it without bending. From inside the room Jace said something about hoping the conflict between the Alphas got solved quickly. For once, Alec couldn’t agree more. ❝I hope it gets resolved **tomorrow**.❞

By the time he padded back into the bedroom Jace was already in  _bed,_ talking about breakfast like their situation was nothing short of ordinary. ❝We can get whatever you want,❞ Alec grumbled, toying with the idea of keeping his pants on for the night, but the drops of water falling from his hair were already  **warm** and the thought of staying in jeans seemed particularly torturous. **Fuck it** , he decided with a sigh, pushing the thick material down his thighs and stepping out of it as quietly as possible, dropping the black fabric in the growing pile at the floor and making his way to the bed clad only in his boxers. It felt far more under-dressed than he had any right to be in Jace’s presence.

Towering over the bed, and his parabatai’s lying form, it became clear that this was an impossible task. ❝You have got to be kidding me,❞ Alec muttered under his breath, looking down at Jace and the obvious way in which he occupied **all** of the slim mattress by laying on his back. ❝Scoot over,❞ he urged, sitting on the edge of the narrow bed and feeling it _creek_ under his added weight. They were going to end up on the floor, he was at least fifty per cent **sure** of it. Not even lying down yet and his back was already pressed to Jace’s naked thigh just by  _sitting there_. Another drop of sweat made its way down Alec’s neck, a small **shiver** suppressed as he tensed his muscles and waited for Jace to move.

❝You’ll have to turn on your side,❞Alec pointed out without the slightest drop of joy in his voice. Already he was anticipating the possible positions the two of them could **fit** in. Like the long discussion they had the other day about two bodies fitting in a floating door after Simon made them watch a movie about a _sinking ship_ , the outcome wasn’t promising. Like the Titanic, the situation was complete and utter **disaster** , and the sinking ship still sounded like a better place to be right then.  _At least the ocean was cold_.

* * *

 

     ❝Yeah, that’d be  _great_..❞ Jace mumbled, but without much optimism in his voice. If the course of events so far was **any** hint at how the rest of their trip would go, they would likely be stuck at this hotel for another  _week_. He watched Alec peel out of his pants without really looking, and blinked up at him when he finally stood next to the bed. Careful not to  _fall out_ , Jace turned to lie on his side and moved closer to the **edge** of the bed facing the door. The space that was left for Alec was  _ridiculous_ , but Jace couldn’t move back another millimeter without really falling to the floor. As if it wasn’t hot **enough** in the room, they would hardly find a way around unwanted physical contact tonight.

As soon as Alec lay down, Jace could feel the  _heat_ coming off of him like from a stone heated by the **sun**. It took less than a minute for one of them to move in a  _desperate_ attempt to get more comfortable, leading to Alec’s back ending up **pressed** against Jace’s chest. It was sticky and  _hot_ and uncomfortable, but then again, Jace had felt like that for **most of the day** , so it wasn’t really a big change for the worse. When he tried to back away from Alec’s heated skin, he found himself dangerously close to the edge of the bed, and reflexively reached out to wrap his arm around his  _parabatai’s_ middle. ❝By the Angel– ❞ he cursed, letting out a breath against the back of Alec’s neck.

❝Do you  _mind_? I know I’m sweaty – so are **you** , don’t even start – but I’m going to fall out of this bed if I don’t hold on to something.❞ It was more of an  _announcement_ with an inbuilt excuse, than an actual question, because Jace wasn’t going to take  _no_ for an answer. He almost regretted not being the  _little spoon_ , for Alec seemed far less likely to accidentally roll out of bed. For a few minutes they lay like that, Jace having closed his eyes, and trying hard to think about everything that happened that day, so his mind would get tired and fall asleep. It didn’t work. Jace let out a groan and moved his hand **lower**  on Alec’s stomach, unsure if the  _wetness_ he felt came from his arm or from Alec’s skin.

❝It feels like we’re **melting** together,❞ he complained. Then, without a warning, Jace pulled his arm back and got up from the bed. He walked over to the clothes pile in the corner and rummagedaround in it until he found his pants. ❝I had an idea– I'll be right back,❞ and with that he walked out of the room, without bothering to put on shoes.

* * *

 

     When Alec laid down he did it with as much care as it was possible for a 6′2′’ man struggling to fit into a space about as wide as a  _single_  one of his thighs. Needless to say, it was a **tight fit**. Try as he might, it was impossible to do it without touching Jace as so the best Alec could manage was to turn away from his parabatai, their heated bodies pressed back to back, each nearly falling off the **narrow** bed through their respective sides of it. **Hopeless** , that’s what the situation felt like, hopeless and _sticky_  as Jace caved and turned at last, pushing their bodies into an even tighter fit.

Jace’s chest was pressed to Alec’s back, legs molding to the slight bent shape of his own as his **hips** – Jace’s hips hugged the curve of Alec’s ass in the inevitable form that pushed them as close as possible in the reduced space. Alec **tensed**. Jace’s breath on the back of his neck made him want to  _shiver_  and Alec held back with all he had, muscles pulled so tight they hurt from the **strain**. By the Angel indeed… His skin prickled from the ghost warmth of Jace’s lips alone, sweat running down his spine and calling up another repressed shiver. If there was any room left for him to pull away he would have, but as it was Alec found himself **trapped**  between the heated lines of Jace’s body and the edge of  _their_  bed. 

 _Sure_ , Jace had to hold on to something, but did it have to be  _him_? His parabatai’s hand felt like a searing **brand**  of his body and though Alec muttered ❝It’s fine,❞ through his gritted teeth it really didn’t feel like it was. His attention was riveted towards a distant wall, eyes tracing the reflection cast by the light from the window in it over and over again while forcing himself not to **focus**  on Jace’s touch or the contours of his body so firmly pressed against Alec’s own. Jace’s hand slipped even **lower**  on Alec’s sweaty skin and Alec bit at his own lip in response. To say it felt like they were melting together didn’t even  _begin_  to cover it.  

A relieved gasp escaped him as Jace **finally**  pulled back, his retreat momentarily quenching some of the heat as he peeled away from Alec’s body. He laid down on his stomach fully then, muffling a groan into the pillow and pulling himself back together as Jace rummaged the room for his clothes. ❝Where are you going?❞he faintly asked his parabatai’s retreating form, distrusting of Jace’s ideas on **principle**. His answer came in the sound of a closing door, leaving Alec alone in their damp and darkened room.  _Damn it, Jace_. He almost felt bad for thinking it, but it was **better**  like this. Not that the heat had lessened much, but at least Alec was fully laid on the bed and didn’t feel like crawling out of his very skin with Jace’s touch. 

 _Yes_ , like this it was better, and the momentary respite **weighted**  upon Alec’s shoulders, his mind drifting into a light and uneasy rest in wait for Jace’s return.   

* * *

 

     In hindsight, walking around  _barefoot_ on the premises of a cheap motel had not been the brightest idea Jace had ever had, but except for a small cut on his sole, where he had stepped on a small shard of glass, he returned more or less  _unharmed_ to their room. (He didn’t bother with a healing rune, the cut would heal on its own quickly enough.) In order to be able to open the door, he had to press the small **bucket** he was holding against his bare chest, the touch of the cold metal sending a  _shiver_ over his skin that he had not expected to get in this heat. Once he was inside and the door closed again, he walked over to the bed, a **triumphant** look on his face. Alec had used the opportunity to spread out on the bed, but it made only more obvious how ridiculously small it really was.

Jace put the bucket down on the floor next to the bed, where it settled with a rattling noise. ❝You’re going to **love**  this,❞ he promised while pealing out of his pants once more, and throwing them over to their messy pile of clothes. ❝Move over?❞ Jace asked, and settled back into his hardly comfortable sleeping positions when Alec **reluctantly**  did so. Immediately he was welcomed by his parabatai’s damp and  _sticky_  skin, but Jace was too thrilled by his **revolutionary** idea to mind much in this moment. Admittedly, their limited space made it a little difficult to proceed the way he normally would have, but  _necessity begot ingenuity_  after all.

Reaching into the bucket on the floor, Jace pulled out two **ice cubes**  and held them up against his neck. He let out a sharp little  _gasp_ at the sudden cold, but quickly felt the cube melt to water between his fingers. At this rate, he would be needing **a lot** of cubes to cool down properly, but  _that_ , at least, was something this crappy motel had: a functioning **ice machine** ; and thanks to the lack of guests it was still almost full. Jace moved the cubes to his front, leaning back a little and sliding them over the part of his chest that wasn’t pressed up against Alec’s sweaty back. In creating such a harsh contrast to the surrounding heat, the ice made  _goosebumps_ break out on his skin where it left a wet trail, all the way down to his thigh.

It didn’t take long before there was nothing left of the two cubes but a lukewarm wetness on Jace’s fingers, and he quickly reached into the bucket again to get two more. ❝ **Here**.. ❞ he said as the only warning, before holding them against the back of Alec’s neck, a drop of  _icy_ water running down pale skin and disappearing into the sheets beneath them. 

* * *

 

     Alec was half asleep by the time Jace came back, face down on their tiny cot of a bed and arms spread up, all but hugging into his pillow. As it was the case, his only answer to Jace’s approach was a **groan** , his movement nothing short of unwilling as he turned his back towards his parabatai and scooted closer to the window, feeling another **heated** body sliding in behind him. _Hell was back_ , it seemed, and with a vengeance at that. The fact Jace seemed to **think** he was going to love this, no matter what he might be talking about, only made him begrudge the sticky press to his back even more.  _Loving it,_  Alec thought bitterly, pressing his eyes even further shut and trying to force himself **back**  into sleep. Granted it was still hot, but it had seemed a bit more bearable while he had been alone and drowsing.

He didn’t pay attention to what Jace was doing, didn’t have the slightest idea of what could be happening up until the moment  _cold_ **ice**  was being pressed into the burning back of his neck and Alec couldn’t help himself. He **moaned** , the pleased sound unlawfully escaping him as a full-on shiver made its way down his body, the movement forcing Jace’s hand down and right between tensed up shoulder blades. This time he managed to turn his face enough to **bite down** on the pillowcase, pushing any thought of exactly how  _disgusting_  this was from his mind as it kept him from letting out any other sound. A **flush**  that had nothing to do with the heat spread through his otherwise pale cheeks and Alec remained frozen into place, unarguably awake and utterly **mortified**.

It seemed like a small eternity before he could bring himself to move again, the ice against his back all but melted as Alec relaxed enough to let go of his pillow and take in a shaky breath that he hoped didn’t sound so much like a **hiss**. ❝What are you doing?❞ he finally spoke, the words paused and bitten as uttering them was nothing short of a struggle. And it wasn’t even a good question, Jace’s intentions as **clear** as the wet streak down Alec’s back even before he was turning to face his parabatai, greeted with the sight of his equally damp neck and chest, obviously the result of even more ice cubes even though just **imagining**  that happening right beside him made Alec want to groan all over again.  

❝Ice? That’s your plan?❞ he hoped his voice was a bit better then, same as he **prayed**  to the Angel his slip had been all but forgotten. In the narrow frame of the bed facing Jace meant their chests nearly touched as both men remained on their sides, Alec messy hair partially **plastered** to his forehead same as the dark curls on his chest, matted due to the heat. Shaking his head he did his best to get his bearings, ignoring his embarrassment if only so they could cool down and **sleep**. ❝It’s not a bad idea,❞ Alec finally admitted, the hoarseness finally gone from his voice as he turned his hand, palm facing upwards in waiting. ❝Just let me do it.❞

* * *

     The  _moan_ erupting from Alec was not the reaction Jace had expected, but it was **enthusiastic** enough to be met with satisfaction. With the cube in his hand pressed against Alec’s back, his parabatai’s skin felt even hotter, in comparison, almost  _feverishly_  so. ❝Isn’t that kind of obvious?❞ Jace asked, despite knowing that Alec’s question was less of a real question and more of a preface to a  _complaint_ (although he couldn’t see what Alec possibly had to complain about in regards to this brilliant idea). ❝And isn’t it the best I had all day?❞ he tried fishing for his well-deserved praise once more. The cube had dissolved into water by now, Jace’s hand pressing against Alec’s chest (now that he had turned) with nothing but a few drops of water between them.

Jace could feel Alec’s breath against his wet skin, the movement of the air, however faint, sending another shiver down his spine. He met Alec’s look with a wide smileand reached back into the bucket once more, to hand over two more ice cubes. It was still relatively cold inside the bucket, but the remaining ice had begun to **melt**  even before Jace had arrived back at their room. ❝Do you mind doing  _me_ too?❞ The effects of the ice were quickly fading and even though it was giving them temporary relief, Jace soon realized the major **downside** of his idea: once the cold faded, the stuffy air seemed even hotter than before.

He groaned, shifting yet a little closer to Alec when he felt his legs slipping off the mattress. ❝If we had a **bathtub** we could fill it up with ice and lie in it. Couldn’t possibly be tighter than sharing this bed,❞ Jace mused, his eyes following the reflection of the light from outside their window on the cube between Alec’s fingers. ❝My brain is **melting**. Those werewolves seriously need to figure out their issues, and preferably before I dry out like a prune.❞ Feeling that he was slipping again, Jace held on to Alec a little  _tighter_ , and moved his leg to lie over his brother’s. ❝Sorry, I’m slipping off.. ❞ he mumbled.

* * *

     The brilliance of Jace’s idea was highly questionable even if Alec was unable to deny the **pleasure**  of cold ice against his burning skin– _Especially_  because he couldn’t deny it. A couple cubes were placed into his open palm and Alec **immediately**  reached for the back of his neck, rubbing the ice there and ignoring the wet  _mess_  doing so left behind as his shoulders sagged with temporary **relief**. And then Jace was speaking again, his voice breaking through Alec’s moment of respite as he tensed all over again with one simple question: _Do you mind doing me?_  He very much **did** , but it wasn’t as if Alec could say so and instead he merely swallowed through dried out lips and nodded,  **❝** In a minute. **❞** The ice in his hand melted into water far **too soon**  after that and all was left was for Alec to fulfill his promise.

Sweat was already forming in his skin all over again as he reached over Jace for the ice bucket, the movement pushing them closer and, by consequence, nearly shoving Jace off the edge of the **narrow**  bed. Their chests were nearly touching, Jace’s hand resting over Alec’s heart once he had turned to face him and undoubtedly feeling how hard it **hammered**  inside his rib-cage. A bathtub filled with ice was starting to look like an appealing idea since it couldn’t possibly be **worse**  than  _this_ , few things likely could. And just as Alec thought things couldn’t get worst his parabatai _slipped_ , hand sliding down to the slope of Alec’s hip and holding him there as Jace threw a leg over his own and scooted even **closer**.  _Sorry_ , oh he’d better be.

 **❝** It’s **fine** , **❞**  Alec spoke through gritted teeth, lips feeling impossibly dry as he bid his parabatai to be **still** , by all that was holy, stopping himself only narrowly from outright asking _‘Where do you want it?’_. The answer could have possibly made things even worst, and it was bad enough as it **was**. They were so damn close like this, hips pressed together, not more than inch between their chests and the **mortifying**  thought that Jace would  _feel_  it if Alec got any excitement out of this more than keeping his arousal down. Not being able to escape it he reached for his parabatai’s shoulder, sweat and ice making it easy for Alec’s hand to trace a **wet path**  down Jace’s chest from there, over the angelic power rune there and then slowly trailing over his side. Alec kept his breathing controlled, heavy as the air between them felt  _clogged_  with overpowering **heat**. By the time he reached the edge of Jace’s briefs the ice was all but gone.  

* * *

 

     Jace closed his eyes, his body tensing up as Alec’s hand wandered over his skin. It took all the self-discipline he could muster up in this heat not to  _cringe_ away from the incredible cold pressing against his sensitive skin, but to endure it, knowing that it would make him feel better in the long run. Alec’s fingers left a new wet trail on his skin, little  _drops_ running down over Jace’s stomach and eventually disappearing in the sheets beneath him. A shaky breath left Jace’s lips as his body responded with goosebumps and shivers to the undeniable  _pleasure_ he was feeling. ❝Mh, yes, like that..❞

It was frustrating how **quickly** the cool touch faded, leaving behind only wetness, of which Jace could no longer identify whether it was from the ice or his  _sweat_. Not for the first time he played with the idea of emptying the **entire** bucket over their heads and lying in a pile of ice cubes until they would melt away. (The sheets were so  _damp_ already, a little bit of water would hardly make a difference.) He let his head fall forward, forehead connecting with Alec’s collarbone, and exposed the back of his neck to give his parabatai better access. ❝There? Please?❞

Even though the ice on his heated skin was like a tiny electric **shock** every time, Jace was beginning to feel  _drowsy_ , exhausted by the heat and from a long day. He felt sweaty and sticky all over, but it seemed his body was starting to accept it. Jace knew that it was  _selfish_ , because they were supposed to be taking turns, but he couldn’t help but wish Alec would **keep** doing this just a little bit longer – long enough for him to doze off and be  _freed_ from the torture of being barbecued alive.

He felt his leg slip on Alec’s and instinctively held on to his waist a little **tighter**. The repeated scare of almost falling out of bed snapped him out of his hazy state and Jace raised his head to look up. Their faces were so  _close_  by now that Jace’s nose almost touched Alec’s chin, the position having every potential to be **awkward**  but somehow not fazing Jace in the slightest. He let his leg slid off of Alec’s, stretched it for a second and then bent it again, nudging against Alec’s knees. ❝Let me just–? I’m still falling off..❞ It took little more than a small shift on the bed for his hip to move closer to Alec and his leg to slide in between his thighs.

Jace immediately felt more secured, and less likely to land on the floor any second. He was just about to make an appropriate comment when he became aware of the  _bulge_ pressing against his thigh. Momentarily he felt confused, not about the nature of what he was feeling, but about the  _reasons_ for it. Was it the heat? The _closeness_ of their bodies? A remnant of a puberty long passed but never fully acted on (on Alec’s part)? Either way, Alec could say what he wanted now – he  _clearly_ liked Jace’s idea more than he’d originally led on. A range of suitable things to say popped up in Jace’s head, but he quickly chose **not**  to comment on it at all. He was  _comfortable_ – given the circumstances – and they had no other choice than to stay **right here**  and attempt some sleep exactly like this. No need to make things awkward just for a short moment of amusement.

* * *

     For a moment Alec wondered if Jace had any **idea**  of what he sounded like, but the answer was rather obvious; either his parabatai didn’t know or he didn’t **care**  about the sighs and moans escaping his lips. Alec wished he could not care as well, but it was  _impossible_  to do that, impossible ignore Jace’s hums of **pleasure**  and the way his own fingers tightened on melting ice in response. The cold was useless when it came to bringing him any sort of relief – relief being the furthest thing from his mind while the side of his hand  _brushed_  along Jace’s burning skin at the same time making it impossible to **focus**. 

 _There? Please?_ Jace’s head fell forward languidly, sweaty forehead pressed to the high of Alec’s collarbone and warm breath ghosting against his own dampened skin. It was enough for his own breath to **hitch** at the soft plea, the words sending a shiver down Alec’s spine.  _Please_ , he wanted to beg himself,  _please don’t_ , but all he managed was a terse nod while already reaching for the bucket that was more water than ice by then and did **nothing** to cool down his own fever. All Alec had to comfort himself with was the fact this was working for **someone** , if Jace’s soft moans were anything to go by, and that’s what he focused on in order to bear doing this for Jace. 

A wet trail glistened on golden skin as Alec traced the back of Jace’s neck with a fresh ice cube, the movement making his parabatai shiver against his chest, the warm breath on Alec’s skin leaving him **tense**  all over. It was impossible not to react, his body rising to attention as Jace overloaded his senses with his breathy gasps and the press of his **hips**.  _Don’t think about it_ , Alec told himself, but even while he thought the words he knew he was fighting a losing battle, the **strain**  in his boxers making that clear even before Jace was pushing a strong thigh in between his legs; pressing so close it was impossible he wasn’t feeling Alec’s arousal pulsing against the side of his hip. 

Mortification froze him into place, eyes wide and fingers lingering a mere inch away from Jace’s skin as Alec waited for  _something_. Horror, reprieve, even a **joke** , but there was nothing – nothing but Jace’s breath against the curve of his jaw and the lingering silence between them. Concerned kept him still, but after it became clear his parabatai wasn’t going to mention Alec was forced to **move**. He considered saying something, but there was nothing to say and, if his parabatai really was unaware enough to not have noticed his **predicament** , Alec certainly wouldn’t be the one to  _point it out_. 

 **❝** Go to sleep, Jace, **❞**  he offered instead, a sprawled hand on Jace’s back keeping his parabatai **secured** on top of the bed (In case he thought to move on his own again) as Alec tried and failed to follow his own advice. Sleep would only come to him in the form of **exhaustion** , much later and after Jace had long succumbed himself to a feverish slumber. Alec didn’t know which was worse, a wide awake Jace who thought rubbing ice cubes on his skin was a good idea to fight off the **heat** or the sleeping version of his parabatai who, seemingly, had no notion whatsoever of **personal space**. When Alec did lose his battle to sleep it was not only with one of Jace’s thighs between his legs but with an iron grip around his waist and Jace’s face buried in the crook of his neck. 

Biblical representations be damned, that,  _right there_ , was the closest Alec had ever felt to  **HELL**. 

 


End file.
